Hardball

The job listing advertised for one of my specialties, offering a salary tens of thousands more than what I was making, so I snuck away at lunch and called the recruiter.

She told me they had been trying to fill the position for a year and the high salary listed was an error in data entry, but they really wanted to make a deal. I stayed friendly and continued talking about my expertise.

Reduction to paid labor clarifies your relationship and responsibilities. You’re not a charity worker saving the shortcomings of others. You’re smartly grabbing as much money as you can get for your family.

By expressing interest and keeping conversations positive, we continued to get closer to a deal over the next few weeks. I was able to get almost all the money originally listed and added several weeks of vacation to the package so I would have leisure time to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Negotiation should not only be aggressive, but strategically fixed upon a goal.